Elsewhere – DVD Review

Yeah, it’s a pretty standard thriller. But the success of Elsewhere is in its overall execution. The cinematography is impressive for an independent direct-to-DVD film. The pacing allows for moments of suspense as well as moments of mystery to combine into a seamless narrative. And the two female leads are hot!

Okay, it’s also riddled with standard horror/thriller clichés that have been called-out, spoofed, and satirized in Scream, Scary Movie, and a host of other films within the genre. Some scares you can see coming a mile away. Others, while predictable, are still able to get a jolt out of you. There’s plenty for the thriller-phile to point at as overdone scares and atmospherics. At the same time, these elements work for the film.

What happens when a girl no one cares about goes missing from her small town? That’s the question the film poses and returns to throughout the story. Wild-child Jillian (Lost’s Tania Raymonde; she’s Ben’s/Rousseau’s daughter, Alex) loves to hook-up with strange men on the Internet.

When she suddenly goes missing, her best-friend, Sarah (Anna Kendrick, Twilight), is the only person in town who cares enough to look for her. Not even the cops or Jillian’s mother give a rat’s ass that she’s missing. Will Sarah find her friend before it’s too late?

Lost fans get a double-shot of Ben Linus’s (Michael Emerson) family in Elsewhere. Not only is Tania Raymonde one of the leads, but another character, Mr. Tod, is played by Jon Gries (Roger Linus, Ben’s father on Lost). I didn’t recognize him at first mainly because he’s bald in this movie and has hair on Lost.

There are more special features included on this DVD than many wide-release movies get. These include: The film’s trailer; 22 minutes of deleted scenes; a making-of featurette, commentary by writer/director Nathan Hope; and a photo gallery.

Elsewhere is an enjoyable and at times thrilling film. It’s actually better than many of the latest teen thrillers that have had recent theatrical releases (see The Uninvited). Watch with a group of friends and list the thriller clichés you see as part of a fun party game! Then play Jenga and Scrabble to complete the evening.